opened to misukmirias, a great part of tiioBe raierred to in the foregoing calffulation labored at other placet on the coast, south of China— as Malarira, Singapoffg, and Batavi»--where the climate is warmer and unwholesome than in China. From these we think ourselves justified in saying that tlie in regard to the nnwholesomeness of this climate is aot sustained by fkcts" (Maday, in Metkodid QnaruHf, Oct. 1860, p. 696).
II. ReSgiont qf China (modified from Pferer, Umtyr- md-Leaakon^ iv, 6).— 1. PrvmlHiee Biii&^^. The oldest religion oftheClUnese was very simple. Their snprvme obj^ of worship was Schamti (supreme mler ; ^ae called during his life TV-ea, Tfoa, or TVsa [Hearen]). Objects of inferior worship were the spirit of the eardi, the spirits of the cities^ the mountains, the sCz«ama, the tutelar deities of agricuHure, of the hearth, of the bor^ ders, of the gates, Uie originators of agricaltare and of the raising of silk-worms, the wise men of olden timea, the souls of ancestors, particularly of the deceased em- perors. The gods were to be propitiated hy prayer, and thehr favor purchased by sacrifices. Nowiiere ia this system do we find any trace of immortality or of a moral law.
2. Coi^fitciamein,—AtUit the fUl of the TVsAcw dy. nasty this old religion fell into disuse. Aboot B.C. 651 appeared the reformer Kong-fti-tse (see Covft- cius), who attempted to introduce better morals, and at the same time to improve the political and social relations of the people. Confbdus taught that tram the Orighial Being Tai-H proceeded Ycmg and Tea. Tang, the Perfect, is the essence of heaven, of the sun,
day, heat, and manhood, and is represented by .
Yen, the Imperfeoty is the essence of the moon, earth, night, cold, and womanhood, and is represented bj
. These two, by simple combination, give
four signs (Sse-si-ang), via. , » ,
= =; and by double combination the eight tri- grammes of the JTao, via. ^^= Heaven, 7 the
original dampness, ="= the fire, wind, ZZ 11
water, — — mountains, = = thunder, = = the earth. These figures, disposed in a circle, were used by Confucius to illustrate the creation ot the world. They had also an ethical meaning, being used to rep- resent the cardinal virtues, piety, morality, justice, and chastity. But of any spoken or written revelatloa there is no trace in his doctrines. Conftacios says himself that the Heavens are silent ; they are to he known in their effects, but no further. Those who obey the law of Heaven as presented in Nature wiQ be happy ; those who do not, become unhappy. Ia this system we And no notion either of immortality or of religious doctrine ; It contemplates this life only, not the ftiture. It has no special priesthood nor tem- ples ; each fiunily sacrifices to the tutelar deities of the household in its own dwelling, but the emperor alone is permitted to sacrifice to the highest Heaven. The writings of Conftacius are read and expounded with great solemnity on the 1st and 16th of every month by a mandarin in robes of ceremony, and Confucius him- self is honored as a saint. His doctrines are fc^owed by the higher and more cultivated classes of China al- most universally. The golden rule of the Saviour, which Locke designates as the foundation of all social virtue, is found among the sayings of Confridns in the negative form : '* Wluit yon do not wish done to your- self, do not do to others.'* In the '* Conversations,** bk. XV, ch. xxiii, it appears condensed, like a tele- gram, into eight characters, a good specimen of Chi- nese style :
U sue pok Ok iij; sie A ing. self irhat not wish not do to man.
8. Lao-T^ or Xd-e^~Nearly on a level witii Con- fucius we find the reformer and philosopher Lao^se (Lao-kiun) or Ld-chO, who considws tlie Tbo (or Orig- I mo^iZetzfon) as the origin of all things, fhan whom pre-
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CHINA
cMdad St first one, then two, then time divine natnres {Kit Bij Quei), Hie moral teaching ie that man Ib to enjoy 1^, the hi^^iest aim being to become iVee from external evils and from inward cares. In this relig- ion (the foUowers of which are called TVmmm, Taiusts) we find a belief in spirits having an inflaence over the destinies of man. After death the material part only of man belongs to the earth ; the higher and lower spiritual parts (Lmg and iTK-eii) pass, after this life, into diflforent spirits. Each place has its tutelar spir^ itB ; bad sfdrits always lead man into evil, bnt they are confined to the earth. This religion has a partio- nlar priesthood (in the highef degrees of which celi- bacy is enforced), and a great number of temples. It was originally embraced by the higher and richer class- es, bnt has mach degenerated of late, and its priests have become little b^ter than jogglers. *'3oMg Ching, the < Three Pure Ones,* is the title
The Three Pure Ones.
of certsin three idols found in temples belonging to
the Tauist religion and worshipped by Tanist priests.
The images are seated side by side. One of them, as
some explain, represents Ld-chtt, or the < (^ Boy,* the
founder of that rdigion. Others explain that the three
images refer to three dififerent incarnations of Ld-chfi.